Women's Entrepreneurship Day Cleveland | 11.19.20

Code of Conduct

Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (WED) is an opportunity for us to come together to discuss issues of vital importance to women entrepreneurs and our communities. We believe there is immense value in engaging with diverse viewpoints – including those that challenge our individual ways of looking at the world. WED is a place for thought-provoking conversations, but we can’t have those conversations unless everyone feels safe and respected.

It is important to us that WED is a safe and inclusive space for all attendees, regardless of gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, race, nationality, ethnicity, disability, medical conditions, religion (or lack thereof), physical appearance, politics, or ideology. Our Code of Conduct is here to provide a clear set of guidelines to everyone in the WED community about the standards to which we hold you—and ourselves.

Be Kind and Respectful

Above all, we ask that all attendees, speakers, sponsors and other guests behave respectfully. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other attendees. Harassment and sexist, racist, or exclusionary jokes or comments are never tolerated at WED, at related events, or on social media or other online platforms connected to the event.

Harassment includes (but is not limited to) comments using demeaning, derogatory, or discriminatory language, comments intended to cause offense or harm to other members of the community, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

If you’re asked—whether by a WED organizer or another attendee—to stop your behavior, you’re expected to do so immediately and respectfully.

Engage Respectfully Online and Offline

Respecting your fellow attendees also means interacting with them in human, collaborative, and non-spammy ways. Whether you’re sponsoring or just attending, remember that no one has opted in to hear from you simply by being at WED. It’s important not only to be kind to your fellow attendees, but also to their inboxes.

Of course, we encourage you to connect with other attendees in genuine, human, and helpful ways. However, scraping emails, blasting people with unsolicited pitches, or spamming your fellow attendees is never acceptable.

Speak Out and Own Up

We believe considerate peer-to-peer discussions, feedback, and corrections can help build a stronger, safer, and more welcoming community.

If you see someone behaving disrespectfully, even if the behavior is not directed toward you, we encourage you to respectfully discourage them from such behavior if you feel safe and comfortable doing so. If you do not feel safe, comfortable, or otherwise able to respond and resolve it respectfully, please bring it to the attention of WED event staff or a Prosper for Purpose team member immediately. We want to hear from you about anything that you feel is disrespectful, threatening, or just icky. We will listen and work to resolve the matter.

If you realize that you are behaving disrespectfully, or if someone else expresses their discomfort with you, we expect that you will own up to your words and actions, and apologize accordingly. No one is perfect, and even well-intentioned people make mistakes. What matters is how you handle them, and that you avoid repeating them in the future.

Getting Help or Reporting an Issue

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of the event staff immediately. Event staff includes Prosper for Purpose team members, who will be present at all times. You can also email Lorraine@prosperforpurpose.com or click here to report an issue anonymously.

We take all concerns seriously, and we will use our discretion in determining when and how to follow up on reported incidents. Depending on the circumstances involved, we may decline to take any further action or may direct the participant to other resources for resolution.

If deemed necessary, we will help participants contact venue/event security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the event.

If we determine that a WED participant is acting inappropriately, we may take any actions that we feel are necessary to prevent continued disrespectful behavior or harassment. This may even include expulsion from WED without warning or refund.

License & Attribution

This policy is licensed under the Creative Commons Zero license. Feel free to borrow from our Code of Conduct to help make your events safer and more inclusive.

This policy is based on several other policies, including Google events anti-harassment policy, Pycon 2013 Code of Conduct, and Yxyy Community Code of Conduct.